February 16, 2010, Calgary, Alberta – This won’t be the first time SAIT Polytechnic grad Tyler Seitz participates in the Olympics. But it will be the first time he is involved as an employee of the host committee rather than an as athlete.

Seitz, a graduate from SAIT’s millwright apprenticeship program, attended both the Nagano and Salt Lake City Olympics as a member of the Canadian Luge team, placing 18th and 19th, respectively. He was still training in the sport when he started his millwright apprenticeship at SAIT in 2000.

Seitz says he chose the millwright program because he hoped it would allow him to remain involved in the sport that he had been active in for more than fifteen years.

“I was looking for a way to shape my career after retiring, and the millwright program helped me do that.”

After graduating from SAIT, Seitz continued to work for the company where he had completed his apprenticeship until he heard about a job with the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Committee.

“I found out about the job from my brother who is the track manager at the Whistler Sliding Centre. I got the job and came out to Whistler in 2007. Since then, I’ve worked to take the track from its initial start-up capacity to being fully operational and ready for the Olympics.”

Seitz says he uses many of the skills he learned at SAIT to be successful in his role as the refrigeration plant manager for the Whistler Sliding Centre.

“The refrigeration courses that I took at SAIT provided me with the foundation for this role. My job is to maintain a quality ice surface, keeping the temperature just right – it’s a real delicate balance. That’s where my background in the sport comes in handy; I know what the athletes are looking for.”

When asked what’s next for this SAIT grad, Seitz says there aren’t any concrete plans yet – he’s toying with the idea of making the move to Russia to help with the sliding centre there (Sochi, Russia is the host of the 2014 Winter Olympics). Whatever the next step is though, Seitz says it’s hard to imagine doing anything else.

“This is about the most perfect job I can imagine. It’s given me a chance to stay involved in the sliding sports and allows me to work as a millwright, something I love as well.”

SAIT Polytechnic is one of Canada’s most exciting destinations for post-secondary education, offering more than 100 career programs that position people for success in technology, trades and business. A leader in innovation, SAIT also collaborates with industry on applied research and delivers corporate training worldwide. SAIT is a member of Polytechnics Canada and one of Alberta’s Top 50 Employers for 2011.

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